Indigo’s Fall Preview

Last Thursday, several of my colleagues and I had the chance to preview Indigo Books & Music’s fall 2011 collection, and to get a feel for where the company is headed. Oh boy, is it exciting!

You may be wondering why I’m showing you a photo of a furnished room — well, all those accessories, including the lamps, cushions, trays, books and frames, are all part of where Indigo is headed. You’ll still find books you want to keep forever, but you’ll also discover chic products to create a cosy home, affordably.

It may be a bit hard to get excited over warm knit blankets in the middle of May, but who doesn’t love a warm and inviting chair to read in?

Bookcases were adorned with unique objets and oodles of hardcovers.

Bookends featuring owls and modern, geometric shapes were seen throughout.

I’m usually not a fan of wooden frames in this colour, but I really like how they work with the linen mats and deep grey wall.

These frame stands, meanwhile, help add height to a console table vignette.

Cute little task lamps, $60 a pop.

Now, how about this swing-arm lamp? Loooove. It’s $125! But, more importantly, check out that robot guy!

This large Karlsson clock features classic alarm bells and a cool white-on-white look.

For a bit more of a punch, though, you could go for a red-faced clock.

There was no shortage of nifty office accessories and storage items. This golden objet is $15.

Indigo teamed up with Moleskin to give their classic notebooks a new look.

The lacquer-top boxes come in different sizes and colours. Notice those cameras on the far left? Those are Fujifilm Instax cameras which print photos instantly — like good ol’ Polaroids. The white ones should be at Indigo stores in time for Father’s Day, and the black one, which prints wider photos, by autumn.

A section of the preview was dedicated to little ones, and featured educational toys and books. The book display was neat — I personally like to display my book covers, but covering them turned these simple bookcases (Billy ones, perhaps?) into something sophisticated, especially with the white frames hung on top. Maybe covering books and labelling the spines will teach kids not to judge a book by its cover?

They even have great gift items for babies, including clothes, frames and treasured stuffed animals. Goodbye, dear piggybank — looks like some other animals stole the show.

CEO Heather Reisman was there to talk about it all, including their new kitchen and dining products, which Indigo designed, too. That’s the same Heather who decides which items get her sticker of approval. And yes, that is Chef Michael Smith in the corner. He was there to talk about his new cookbook out in the fall, Chef Michael Smith’s Kitchen, which features easy-to-follow recipes that guide you through the cooking process.

There are those bowls that Heather was holding earlier.

These decanters come with a neat wooden ball which sits comfortably on top. Tasty snacks will also be available for purchase, including fudge and peanut brittle.

The most mysterious part of the preview was this packaged box — Heather wouldn’t say what was inside of it, but now we know. On Monday, Kobo announced its release of a new eReader with touch capabilities, Wi Fi and more, available for preorder now at $139. Exciting news for literature fans.

While I have recently become interested in getting an eReader (so much easier to travel with!), I don’t think I’ll ever stop wanting a home library featuring my favourite and most inspiring books. Check out this photo gallery of amazing libraries if you feel the same way!